Aesthetic Thoughts in the Fu of Sima Xiangru and Regional Cultural Mindset

Author: Li Daotian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Sima Xiangru is a representative writer of Han Dynasty fu and a master of fu theory, as well as a literary master and an authority in aesthetics. He is the founder of Han Dynasty fu. Yang Xiong admired his fu works and exclaimed, "Xiangru's fu does not seem to come from the mortal world; it must be the result of divine inspiration!" Lu Xun, in Outlines of the History of Han Literature, introduced Sima Xiangru and Sima Qian together in a dedicated section, noting, "During Emperor Wu's reign, no one excelled in fu like Sima Xiangru, and no one surpassed Sima Qian in prose." Sima Xiangru fully grasped the aesthetic principles of fu composition. Through his own practice in writing fu and his discussions on the subject, he explored the aesthetic creation and expression process of fu composition. Though his insights may seem like mere fragments, when combined with the aesthetic thoughts revealed in his specific fu works, they still reveal his profound understanding of fu. He had already relatively comprehensively articulated his own theories on fu composition. From the perspective of modern aesthetics, interpreting his aesthetic ideas in fu is undoubtedly beneficial and necessary.